mushroom biryani recipe, spicy south indian mushroom biryani recipe

first time we had a taste of this mushroom biryani at the pepper vine cafe during our visit in isha yoga center of sadhguru jaggi vasudev. there in tamil language this was called as as kalan biryani. what was served at the cafe was a spicy biryani. when we came back i wanted to try making the biryani at home.

i searched for the mushroom biryani recipe on the web and came across many. finally i decided to adapt the recipe from this youtube video. the original recipe is made without any oil, so good for heart patients. i made this mushroom biryani both with and without oil on separate occasions.

to be honest, i liked the one made with oil. the frying of the masala in the oil does impart a lot of taste and flavor to the biryani. below are pics of both the oil free and the oil versions of the mushroom biryani. the left pic is of the oil-free version and the right is the oil version.

after that i made this mushroom biryani many times and every time it was a winner. this is not a layered biryani. there is a layered mushroom dum biryani recipealready posted. few more recipes you can make with mushroom and rice combo are:

this is a really spicy mushroom biryani. so if you cannot tolerate spicy food, then do cut down on the ginger-garlic paste, red chili powder, green chilies, black pepper powder and garam masala powder.

this mushroom biryani recipe came very close to the one served at the isha yoga center cafe. this south indian mushroom biryani pairs very well with a kachumber or plain onion-tomato raita, as the yogurt tones down the spiciness and balances the heat of the biryani. in fact you can also serve this biryani with just plain curd/yogurt.

12. stir again very well so that the masalas or dry spice powders gets mixed evenly with the rest of the mixture.

13. add sliced mushrooms.

14. stir again.

15. saute on a low to medium flame for 6 to 8 minutes. keep on stirring at intervals.

16. then add water.

17. bring the mixture to a simmer.

18. add the rice.

19. add rest of the mint+coriander leaves.

20. stir.

21. season with salt. check the taste of the stock and it should taste a bit salty.

22. cover the pan with a lid. on a low flame cook the mushroom biryani till the rice grains are cooked well and all the water is absorbed. in case if the rice grains are not cooked and the water has dried up, then add about ¼ to ½ cup water of more if required. you have to keep on checking the rice a couple of times to see if the water dries up or not. depending on the size and quality of the pan, you may need to add more water while cooking the mushroom biryani.

23. once done, allow the mushroom biryani to sit for 5 minutes. then open the lid and gently fluff the rice.

Hi . I have always lived your recipies and many have turned out to be amazing . I just have a doubt . Can we add biryani masala to this? Also I havve been using 1:1.5 ratio in a electric rice cooker and my biriyani/pulao turns out dry . What’s is the mistake I am making . Thanks in advance !

thanks runalini. you can add biryani masala. 1/2 to 1 teaspoon as per how strong you want the flavors to be. in a rice cooker, i usually add more water as if less water is added, the rice becomes dry. i add 1:2.25 for basmati rice which has been soaked for 30 minutes. so you can try adding 2 cups water first for 1 cup of rice. if the rice is still dry, then increase to 2.25 cups.

Delicious quick recipe. Prepared it several times with oyster, button,quinoa etc. Loved it and become my fav. Comes perfect every time even when i omit mint leaves and cilantro if not available. Tastes the best if follows the same recipe and mint just enhances the taste of biriyani. Suggested few of my friends to try too. Thank you!!

I was wondering if the recipes from this website are also available as a cooking book that I can purchase (instead of printing the recipes one by one). As an European learning to cook South Indian food, your step by step recipes are a real blessing!

Hi Dassana, I owe you one!! I chanced upon your site after searching for “mushroom biryani” as my dad wanted to have it after trying it out from one of his colleague’s place.. Tried it today and it came out awesome..!!!

P.S: My parents have started trusting my cooking abilities after tasting this biriyani… Thanks to you.. 😉 will sure try out more of your recipes

sowmya surely try more recipes and look forward for more feedbacks from you. thank you for your positive feedback. glad to know your parents liked the biryani made by you, wish you all the best in life.

it depends on the quality of basmati rice. organic basmati rice takes a longer time to cook. also if pressure cooking, then 1.5 to 2 cups is fine, but when cooking in a pan or pot, it can take up to 2 to 2.5 cups water. as a family too, we prefer softer cooked grains rather than al dente grains.

Hi Dasanna, I tried this recipe yesterday and the biryani came out yummylicious. I used half the quantity of rice but kept the amount of spices same,just the right spice level for us. Thanks for a wonderful recipe.

If making without oil, do we have to dry roast mushroom? Can you tell me wat else do I have to follow.. The video in the link doesn’t work here at US.. Made the oil version already.. Was a hit here.. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.. I keep wondering how you come up with such pretty recipes, the never-fail recipes with precise measurements and ofcourse the speaking photographs!! Just addicted to your space..

thank you ashritha. no need to roast the mushrooms. just add the mushrooms in the onion-tomato-spice base and then saute it for 4 to 5 minutes. just the add the spices first without oil and roast till they are fragrant. then add the onions. stir very well. then add the tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients. cover and simmer for some minutes till the tomatoes and onions are cooked. then follow the recipe. i checked the video link and the channel behind the video have made it private. if possible i will update the link.

I tried this today n it turned out to be yumm…love all ur recipes….i’m still learning to cook (mom of 2 though :P) and ur site is my go to place. I have tried some of the sweets during Diwali n they turned out too gud…lots of gud wishes comin ur way !!!

hi… i tried your recipe of mushroom biryani yesterday afternoon. Me and my husband, both loved it . thanks for such an awesome recipes. We both like non veg food but my husband has decided to go veg for 1 year. Your website is helping me a lot for delicious veg food. A big thumbs up to both of you for creating such a wonderful blog . Keep Rocking 🙂

I am curious about the garlic ginger paste used here. Is this item something you purchase pre-made or do you put together the paste yourself? Please advise me on your preferred brand or a home recipe you might use.

Biryani turned out awesome! Just like in restaurants. .may I say even better …I’m hooked to your website and have tried 6-7 recipes so far and each one of it is so good.

I have a question…in case in need to double any recipe, do I go ahead n double all ingredients?? I’m asking you this because, previosly I tried to do this with other recipes, the end products does not taste exactly as the original recipe. Could you pls guide me here ( esp onion, tomato and whole garam masala quantities) thanks

thanks shruthi, you can double up the biryani recipes. because the recipe is made in parts and then the layering is done. i have tried doubling the recipe and it had worked for me. but otherwise, for other recipes doubling or tripling the ingredients does not work always. since this is a layered recipe… and if even the rice becomes more or vegetables becomes less then its still OK. even if the masala becomes too much then it gets balance with the rice. so give it a try.

I chanced upon your site after searching for “mushroom biryani” using tags “Coimbatore” ; and should say am lucky landing here. Tried it today and it came out awesome..just as I had wanted. Actually, I am from Coimbatore and here at a local restaurant we get similar biryani and was wanting to do the same for a long time. All my family members enjoyed today’s lunch..thx a zillion..

P.S. U have a lovely collection of recipes and most of them are very tempting; eager to try them one by one…

I tried this Biryani today. The colour and aroma was awesome. 🙂 However I am soooo new to cooking that I need guidance on salt always. How much salt will you add to this when cooking for your family? And do you add garam masala in the end in this recipe too? And thanks in advance for the help. 🙂 I am going to try most of your vegetarian recipes.

dear zohra, this mushroom biryani recipe is a fav at home too. in this recipe the garam masala is added along with the other masalas. for some recipes i add garam masala before and for some towards the end.

regarding salt… i add salt with andaz, the indian way of estimation. but for beginners, i suggest adding less salt first. then checking the taste. if the salt is less, then add some more. for any recipe meant for 2-3 people, my suggestion would be to add 1/2 tsp salt first and then increase it later to suit your salt preference.

hey Dassana..although i have made this biryani thrice till now but i have a confusion..u have’nt mentioned in ur recipe when to add the khada masala..however i add it before onions..do u powder them or add the same as above..

thanks suhani. i have made the correction. the whole masala or spices have to be added before frying the onions. what you are doing is right. you don’t need to powder them. just adding them whole is alright.

Hello again:) going to try your mushroom methi recipe today and i’m sure it will come out great…and i absolutely love mushrooms …will be trying all of these one by one! PS: your smiley face is very warm and welcoming like your entire site 🙂

I’m a huge fan of Indian food, but have never tried biryani. After seeing how quick and simple it is with a flavour burst of mushrooms, I’m sold! Thanks for sharing what I’m sure will be a new favourite!

hey Dassana..let me tell u that u hv made my weekend..the biryani was just superb..this is again going to be made next week..also my hubby liked it..thanks for the recipe..mmmm i can still remember the taste..cant stop thinking about it..ha ha

Dear Dassana, how r u? this receipe is amazing…full of flavours bursting in the mouth and in the air too…i cooked it but was not expecting it to come out so yummy…now it has become my favourite too..my kid and hubby also liked it very very much.. the whole house was full of its aromatic and spiritual fragrance… thank you dassana for sharing such a wonderful biryani receipe…Also last time i had cooked veg hyd biryani but i didnt add mint leaves as was not there.. & today i came to know the importance of adding mint leaves-:) bye tc.. with love meeta.

thanks meeta. i am good. your comment has made my day. feels great to know that your family liked the mushroom biryani. actually the pics do not convey the taste and the flavors of the biryani. it does not look like a great recipe. photographing rice dishes is not easy at times.

mint leaves really bring out a lot in biryani and pulaos in terms of flavor. even if you add some mint leaves in your simple veg pulao, they taste very different. next time when you make the biryani, do add mint leaves to it. it is an essential and important ingredient in the biryani. something will be missing if you don’t add it.

hi Dassana..how r u..where hv u been..i really missed u and ur posts..now when i was just thinking of making the hyderabadi biryani here comes mushroom biryani..i m confused which one to make now..anyways i will make this one soon..will tell u the results..

i am good suhani. i was on a short break hence did not post anything for almost a week, even on janmashtami and independence day.

you can make both on separate ocassions. hyderabad biryani is really a nawabi style dum biryani and if the your mood or some ocassion calls for something special than you make this.

mushroom biryani, on the other hand is simple but spicy and can go in the regular menu. it is quick and even can be made in a hurry. you can also pressure cook. but for pressure cooking keep the water amount to 4 cups and 3-4 whistles would be fine.

This looks delicious. To think you watched a video which was in a language you did not understand and then adapted it is amazing! Love the other dishes you have featured here too. Unfortunately the husband does like mushrooms. Maybe I will adapt it to other vegetables.

Dear dasana,at the end of every receipe,i do not like that my e-mail add can be seen by every body.my coment is for everybody body to read but not e-mail adress…………is this only on my computer that i can see or every body who like to read blogs? if so can we fix this problem? i do like to read your receipes,thanks a lot.

dear hemlata, yours or anyone’s email address is not visible on the web. it does not even show in the source codes. so there is no need to worry dear. you can safely read the new as well as old posts 🙂

Mushroom biryani looks flavorful and delicious with the spice mix…and we love it when mushrooms are cooked with rice which imparts its own taste..Has come over here many times seeing your beautiful clicks at foodgwaker…so there is nothing to say about clicks..They are amazing…..

Ah! mushroom, brings nostalgic memories of coorg….I used to make it often while living there… here in the city it comes in packets, I still prefer the ones in the backyard…. but have to be cautious with it…your clicks is just amazing….. now I am tempted to make one 🙂